I had an idea to recycle wine bottles into a border in my garden. I asked friends and neighbors to save their empty bottles for me, which created community involvement and generated much interest in the project.

When I had enough bottles collected to install the border, I first marked out the design in the soil and laid out the bottles on the ground so I could arrange them in a way I found appealing. Next, I dug a trench about 8 inches deep. I upended the bottles and buried them bottom-side up to create the eye-catching border.

Different sizes work fine; the larger ones can be used for corners or accent pieces, and varying colors can be mixed together to create visual interest.

Many people ask whether the border was affected by the freezing and thawing associated with weather changes, but the bottles have now come through five winters with no trouble.